Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to stationary and portable vacuum devices, and more particularly to a dexterous telerobotic hose and nozzle positioning system for an automated roadway debris vacuum vehicle.
2. Description of the Background Art
Urbanization has required increasingly complex systems of motorways to accommodate the movement of automotive traffic. Motorway litter comes from many sources including careless drivers and poorly covered waste hauling vehicles with open trailers.
The presence of litter on urban and suburban roadways is not only displeasing to the eye, it can be hazardous to passing motorists as well as to the environment. Collections of roadway debris often block the flow of run-off water to storm drains thereby developing flood conditions during rainy days. Litter is also blown into wildlife reserve areas, cluttering habitats, and items such as disposed automobile oil containers can contaminate plant and animal life. Some items may even be shredded and scattered over larger areas as seasonal mowing takes place by road crews to control plant growth to minimize fire hazards.
Roadway debris, such as glass shards and steel materials, can also create hazardous conditions for motorists from tire damage or through attempts to avoid the debris. Motorway debris typically consists of cardboard, rubber, plastic, glass, aluminum, steel, soil from road sweepings, lumber, dead animals, household garbage and paper in all shapes and sizes. Litter items like paper and wood will decompose over time, however other debris may be noticeable for years. Dead animals that are found on roadways will foul the air and present unsightly views for passing motorists if not removed. Some steel items such as mufflers and hub caps may take an exceptionally long period of time decompose, while plastics and rubber may not do so at all. All of these items must be removed from the roadway and disposed of properly.
Major litter accumulation areas on roadways are those nearest to on-ramps accessing fast-food establishments, along roads that lead to waste facilities, and in public rest areas. Bushes, shrubs, trees, and guardrails often catch this litter and allow it to collect in piles. Predictably, litter concentrations tend to increase in areas with higher population densities.
The cost to local and regional governments for litter removal is substantial. States spend millions of dollars per year to remove refuse from public roadways. State transportation departments must often delay material and machinery purchases as well as personnel decisions due to the drain on public funds caused by the costs of litter removal. Moreover, roadway maintenance and resurfacing activities are often delayed for litter to be removed and require the diversion of resources and workmen.
Litter removal efforts often consist of crews of workers that enter median and right-of-way areas near roadways to manually remove litter and trash that has collected over time. Clean up crews work dangerously close to high-speed traffic and are therefore exposed to injuries from the debris this traffic generates while they manually remove small articles of trash from roadways placing one item at a time into garbage bags for subsequent collection. Such crews may also restrict the flow of freeway traffic during daytime peak traffic periods.
Street sweepers with rotating broom elements, known in the art, are designed to operate on paved surfaces, and can pick up dirt, mud, leaves, paper, light cans and bottles. Sweepers can drive to a worksite and begin operation without on-site manual set-up. Many of these sweepers carry water, which is sprayed to control the dust produced by their rotating gutter and pick-up brooms. However, uneven road surfaces may permit gaps to form between either the vacuum plenum or pick-up broom and the roadway, decreasing the vehicle""s cleaning effectiveness and leaving behind some litter items. Street sweepers cannot generally operate in unpaved shoulder areas without picking up significant amounts of dirt or vegetation. Doing so will unnecessarily and prematurely fill the vehicle""s storage bin and create undesirable dust clouds.
Small capacity mobile vacuum devices were later developed that utilize a flexible hose that can pick up papers, leaves and other light weight refuse. However, the small overall size of these machines and their low top speed do not provide adequate operator protection from high-speed automobile traffic. Furthermore, the limited litter storage capacity requires multiple trips away from the worksite to empty the storage bin. Additionally, litter items such as cans, bottles, and rubber tire segments often cause damage to the impeller and drive motors in these small capacity machines due to jamming and clogging. Accordingly, such machines are unacceptable for use in freeway medians and shoulders.
There are also several large, high power suction vehicles designed for gutter, sewer, and culvert cleaning known in the art. These machines generally have large waste storage bins and substantial suction power, along with the capacity to carry and pump water to break up clogs in culverts and sewers. Such machines can develop enough suction to easily remove sludge, rocks, and sections of broken pavement from otherwise difficult to access depths. However, these machines typically require on-site manual set-up and use, where the operator must position the vehicle close to the intended worksite. The operator must stand outside the vehicle to manipulate the water and suction hoses for proper use, adjusting the boom angle and height hydraulically with controls on the vehicle, and then fine-tune the placement of the nozzle head through hands-on manipulation. The vehicle is normally stationary while the suction or water-pumping operations are taking place.
However, the weight of the fully equipped high capacity machines may prove prohibitive for shoulder and median litter removal operations. Accuracy in placement of the vacuum tube nozzle is not possible with this design due to the lack of active motion controls for the nozzle where it hangs below the end of the boom.
Accordingly, a need exists for an dexterous cleaning apparatus that can pick up all lightweight and most awkwardly sized trash both on and off the roadway and that will allow for spot clean up in locations under and behind guardrails, amongst most highway vegetation, and on some sloping hillsides, and that does not require on-site manual set up allowing the vehicle""s operator to remain in the cab at all times. The present invention satisfies these needs, as well as others, and generally overcomes the deficiencies found in existing equipment.
The present invention pertains to a dexterous positioning nozzle assembly that may be mounted to a litter removal vehicle or to a stationary boom. The nozzle assembly of the present invention may be added to an existing vacuum source or may be provided as original equipment.
A litter removal vehicle employing the present invention, for example, is capable of removing the majority of roadway litter in a partially automated vacuum process in areas along the roadway that are not accessible by sweepers or similar machines. The apparatus permits the collection of trash along fences, shrubbery, guardrails, medians, and some embankments by using a large vacuum nozzle that can be extended with a boom reaching forward of the vehicle""s cab and swinging to the left and right sides, although other boom configurations can employ the invention as well. Under normal circumstances, the operator may remain within the safety of the vehicle""s cab while performing litter abatement operations. Toggle switches and a joystick controller permit no vacuum hose positioning, vacuum fan operation, and all on-site set-up operations without the need to place an operator near dangerous high-speed traffic.
By way of example, and not of limitation, the preferred embodiment of the invention is employed with a base vehicle that is capable of transporting the debris collection system from location to location. The debris collection system includes a vacuum generating assembly and housing that draws large volumes of air and litter through the end of an intake dexterous nozzle assembly and a boom assembly to a collection bin. The control assembly for positioning the nozzle and boom assemblies is preferably placed in the cab of the vehicle to allow a single operator to position the intake nozzle over debris for collection and to control air flow.
The dexterous nozzle assembly of the present invention generally comprises an upper joint coupled to the boom, a base member, an extensible fly, short and long stroke actuators, and a nozzle bracket assembly. The long and short stroke actuators are preferably electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic systems controlled by a three-axis joystick and switches known in the art.
The upper joint is the interface point between the body of the dexterous nozzle assembly and the end of the overhead boom of the base vehicle. The upper joint may be attached to the lip that is typically at the end of the boom and provides mounts for the remaining base, fly and nozzle bracket assembly components as well as the three actuating cylinders. The upper joint consists of upper and lower trays, the union of which preferably provides a degree of compliance for the nozzle assembly. A top flexible vacuum hose within the upper joint connects the boom openings to the top of the base.
The base is a long cylindrical structure that supports cantilever moments as the fly is extended, and is an integral part of the vacuum air pathway. The base is the uppermost element of the nozzle assembly that is made to sweep back and forth during device operation by the short stroke cylinder attached to the upper joint and the base.
The fly is preferably a large diameter steel tube, capable of extending from and retracting into the base allowing the nozzle assembly to change the ground clearance of the nozzle tip. The nozzle bracket and nozzle tip hang from the fly. The extension and retraction of the fly is controlled by the simultaneous extension of the twin long-stroke cylinders mounted to the upper joint on one end and the fly and nozzle bracket assembly on the other.
The nozzle bracket and nozzle tip extend the reach of the overall nozzle assembly and increase the device""s accessibility to litter on the roadway. The nozzle bracket assembly can be rotated about the end of the fly through the opposed motion of the twin long-stroke cylinders. A lower flexible vacuum hose connects the bottom of the fly to the top of the nozzle tip. The nozzle tip is the lowest element on the end-effecter, and the first element to come in contact with roadway debris. The vacuum air pathway preferably reaches from the nozzle tip and nozzle bracket assembly through the length of the fly and base to the boom and into the refuse storage bin.
An object of the invention is to provide a nozzle positioning system that can readily adapt to changes in roadway height at culverts and reach over and under obstructions such as guardrails and thereby efficiently clear debris without requiring the operator to exit the vehicle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a mobile refuse collection system that does not require any nozzle set up prior to the start of refuse collection.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device that is simple in design and has a low machine weight to allow maintenance crews the freedom to drive on unpaved shoulder and right-of-way sections of state freeways and highways and efficiently collect debris.
Another object of the invention is to provide a dexterous nozzle assembly that has a compliant joint with the boom that can withstand impacts of the end of the assembly with obstructions without shearing the nozzle assembly from the boom.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a nozzle assembly that can be easily adapted to existing intake conduits of existing vacuum sources whether on a vehicle or on a stationary applications.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodiments of the invention without placing limitations thereon.